Life's Long Road Home
by BrOkEnHeArTeDo7
Summary: Holes story.. Some OC's. Not all characters are in this! If you like Squid and Caveman, then do I have a story for you! Please Review!
1. Running Away

Life's Long Road Home  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Holes or any of its contents.  
  
Chapter One: Running Away  
  
Author's Note: I don't have much to say. Please review! Thank you to Chelsea, for all the inspiration. Sorry for the hold up. anyone who was waiting.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Is the coast clear?" Cherry asked her best friend, Star, who was helping her out of her bedroom window.  
"Yeah. Time to escape. Throw me your bag!" Star instructed. Cherry tossed her backpack toward Star, and she caught it. Cherry jumped out of her window.  
"Okay. My mom didn't hear me at all." Cherry told Star.  
"Where are we going to go?" Star ignored her comment about her mother.  
"I don't know, but we can't stand in my backyard, let's go!" Cherry pulled Star's arm and they ran down the beach, in flip-flops and shorts. Their windbreakers rustled behind them, but they didn't pay much attention. Cherry and Star had been waiting to run away forever, but they never knew it could happen.  
"Now what? We didn't plan this very well." Star panted, as they stopped, but managed to slip a few words out.  
Cherry just held her index finger up, indicating 'one minute' and crouched over, out of breath. "I'm not sure. At least we got away. Away from it all." Cherry ran away because her mom and her were having problems. Her dad had just walked out, and Cherry blamed her mother. Her mother blamed her. Everything was mixed up, and Cherry wanted to get out.  
"Yeah." Star was under the care of her twenty-year-old brother, and didn't think he'd notice she was gone. He was always gone. Star basically took care of herself anyway, so she didn't see the difference in her not being there at all.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Riiinnnggg, Riiinnnggg! The phone at Star's house went off a mile from the beach where the girls were staying.  
"Hello?" A groggy sounding male's voice picked up the phone.  
"She's gone! Is Cherry at your house?" A worried older woman yelled into the phone, on the verge of tears.  
"No. Star went out. She's probably with her. Don't worry. They'll be home." Star's brother told Cherry's mother.  
"Went out?! It's five in the morning!" Cherry's mom added.  
"Oh. Sorry. Well, if I know Star, she'll be home in no time." Star's brother, Kenneth, hung up the phone, not worried at all. Then again, he was still half-asleep.  
"But." the worried mother was cut off by the hanging up of the receiver. She grunted and hung up her own phone.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Do you think they'll miss us when they realize we've gone?" Cherry asked Star, looking at her.  
"Yeah, right." Star said sarcastically, "Then why do they keep us so miserable all the time?"  
"You're right." Cherry yawned, and laid out a beach towel. "Let's sleep, now." Star nodded in agreement, laying out her own towel. They fell asleep quickly.  
  
~*~*~  
  
In the morning, Star and Cherry set off. They didn't talk much, because they had nothing to say. They didn't know where they were going, but they had walked farther then they had thought. Living near the bottom of California, the girls were near deserts. The deserts were only a little East of their domain, and they were moving east without realizing it. What would come of them in the desert?  
Cherry breathed in the new, fresher air that surrounded her. "Star?"  
"Yeah, Cher?" Star used Cherry's nickname.  
"I'm breathing funny. I think something's changed around here." Cherry panted and looked at Star.  
"How can you tell for sure?" Star questioned.  
"Well, this is sand, only it's not wet like the beach!" Cherry said loudly.  
"Oh my god, you're right. But don't be so loud!" Star told her, and Cherry gave a pretty sensible comeback...  
"Why? We're in the desert, there are NO houses!" Cherry emphasized that there were absolutely none.  
"Oh my god, you're right again!" Star repeated herself.  
"Yeah. Well, let's keep walking!" Cherry straggled ahead in the dry sand. It was harder to walk in, and she could feel its grains grinding between her toes.  
"How much longer?" Star moaned.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"That's it!" Cherry's mother screamed to herself. "I am calling the police! My baby's. out there. alone, or with. oh, she's all alone!" she was too worried to think.  
She dialed the police station's number and waited 2 rings.  
"Hello?" A man answered.  
"Hello. This is Strawberry Loudent." Cherry's mother and Cherry shared the same fruit-like names.  
"What can we do you for, Mrs. Loudent?" the police officer asked her.  
"My child. She's. she's gone." She didn't know what to say.  
"Gone? When?"  
"Well, since yesterday. I thought she'd come home, I didn't call. Her friend is missing, too. They are together, I bet. Look, sir, we've been having problems at home and she's just run away." Mrs. Loudent didn't want to make a bigger deal out of this than it already was, so she swallowed her tears and talked calmly.  
"Can you come down to the station, ma'am?" the man asked her.  
"I'll come right now. I'm bringing pictures of my baby girl." Mrs. Loudent told the officer, hung up, and drove to the police station.  
The man was waiting for her for about 10 minutes, and then she showed up. She took along pictures of Cherry, like she said she would.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"How much longer?" Star whined again, tired from the desert heat.  
"I don't know. Oh my gosh! Look!" Cherry pointed.  
"What? I can't see anything!" Star tried wiping her eyes because there was sand in them from wind.  
"Water!" Cherry yelled and ran to it.  
"Water? Water?" Star ran faster than Cherry and they both got there within 30 seconds. They were so excited to see the water that they fought about it.  
"I give up. Get yours first." Cherry told her. Star gladly accepted and dipped her canteen into the water.  
"My turn." Cherry slowly put her own canteen into the water and drank the first pack full and got more. Star did the same, and they were on their ways again.  
*1 mile later*  
"I see a building!" Star pointed to what she saw this time. Cherry's eyes opened wider.  
"I see it now! It's only like a mile away, let's go!" Cherry started walking faster.  
"Coming!" Star caught up and kept pace.  
  
~*~*~  
  
*At the station*  
"Hello?" Mrs. Loudent walked into the police station to find the desk empty.  
"Hi, Can I help you?" A woman asked her, as she walked behind the desk.  
"Yes. I talked to a man on the phone about my missing child." She pretended calm again.  
"Oh. Well, he is off duty. I can help you, however." The woman seemed very attentive and Mrs. Loudent appreciated it.  
"Okay. Well, her name is Cherry. Cherry Halsey Loudent. She and I have been in some arguments lately. About her father. I divorced him about three months ago." She told the officer.  
"Well, that helps a lot. But a description would help even more. By the way, I'm Officer Cheryl Callie." The officer smiled sweetly, and shook Mrs. Loudent's hand.  
"Yes. I am Strawberry Halsey Loudent." Strawberry told her.  
"Okay. Now, what color hair?" Cheryl continued the conversation, and Strawberry gave her all the information she could about Cherry.  
About a week later, the city was filled with posters and fliers, titled 'Have you seen her?'. It was dull, but it worked. No calls were coming in, and Strawberry worried more. She thought that she ran away, but thoughts of killers and kidnappers came to mind soon enough.  
  
~*~*~  
  
When they reached the building, Cherry thought she was the most tired person in the world. Star was struggling, but not as tired as Cherry.  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A tall and dirty man looked Cherry and Star square in the eye.  
"Don't talk." Star nudged Cherry and suggested.  
"I'm not." Cherry gritted her teeth.  
"Well? What do we have here, I say. BOYS!" the man yelled, and two boys came running.  
"What's this?" a taller boy with brown wispy hair and a toothpick asked.  
"We aren't telling you hicks anything." Cherry snubbed them out loud and Star giggled.  
"Hicks?" another boy, a little shorter, with lighter hair asked.  
"You heard me. Now, leave us alone." Cherry demanded, but everyone continued to stare at her, even Star.  
"Tell us who you are and we'll let you stay." The man told her.  
"Well, Star?" Cherry looked at her friend, as if asking for agreement.  
"Okay. My name is Star. And this," she pointed to Cherry, "is my best friend Cherry. No more questions, please, I am hungry and tired."  
"Well, you missed dinner." The tall boy told her.  
"You're still chewing." Cherry grabbed the toothpick, spat on it, and threw it on the ground.  
"Hey!" the boy yelled at her, obviously angered.  
"Where's the beds, anyway?" Star asked, more anxious than ever.  
"Don't you want to know our names?" the shorter boy asked her.  
"I guess." Star pouted, bored by the people.  
"Well, everyone else has left camp. This is Camp Green Lake." The man said.  
"Okay. You said names." Star, sleepily, pointed out.  
"Fine. They call me Mr. Sir. I am law around here." The man told them.  
"What? There's only three freaking people!" Star looked angry.  
"Anyway." the tall boy started, "I'm Squid. Well, Alan."  
"And call me Caveman. Okay, I'm Stanley really." The shorter boy said.  
"BEDTIME!" Star yelled. They pointed to a tent. "There." Squid opened the door. There were six beds and three people.  
"Mr. Sir sleeps there." Caveman pointed to a cabin.  
"Oh." Cherry flopped down on a bed.  
"Yeah. Oh." Star imitated and flopped down across from her.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"I'll get something soon. I'll get something soon." Strawberry stalked and moaned around the house all day, waiting for Cherry to walk in, arms wide open for a hug.  
It didn't happen that day, or the next day. Mrs. Loudent was usually pretty positive, but she was beginning to think Cherry was gone forever. Either dead, or kidnapped. Little did she know, she was right across state.  
  
~*~*~  
  
In the morning, at camp, Cherry woke up startled. Something was tickling her cheek. She sat up and looked to her side where she had felt something touch her. Squid, apparently, had been breathing loud, therefore causing the problem. She laughed to herself and then woke Star up.  
"Star!" she hissed at her friend, who was breathing loudly with her mouth open.  
"Huh?" Star woke up a little confused by her surroundings. It took her a minute, but she realized where she was and why.  
"Did you sleep well?" Cherry was asking her, because her own back was so sore from her first night on a dirt ground.  
"Yeah. No sand around here. Oww." Star moved too suddenly and her back hurt.  
"You said it." Cherry smiled, and got out of her covers. She reached into her duffel bag for her hairbrush, just as Squid woke up.  
"Said what?" Squid yawned.  
"Oh. That there's no sand here." Cherry looked at him strangely. She wasn't used to a lot of boys from where she came from, since her dad left. Star and herself went to an all girls school, and Ken, Star's brother, was the only guy they ever really saw.  
"Sand?" Squid questioned, used to the dirt where he slept every night.  
"Yeah. We come from the other side of California. Near the beach." Cherry informed him.  
"Was it fun there? I've never been to a beach before." Caveman joined in, obviously awakened.  
"It was okay," Star said, "nothing special. Maybe that's because we're used to it. I learned to swim in the ocean. On my fifth birthday I was stung by a jellyfish." Star rolled up her pajama pants a little bit to show a scar right above her ankle.  
"Oww." Caveman looked at her scar as if it hurt him, too.  
Star rolled her pants back down and pulled her flip-flops onto her feet. She figured that they had a big day ahead of them.  
"Breakfast is soon." Squid told them, and they, tiredly, nodded silently.  
"It's usually waffles." Caveman let them know.  
Cherry rubbed her stomach, "I am pretty hungry."  
"Me, too." Star's stomach grumbled in agreement.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Strawberry called the police station to get a status report. One person had called and hadn't left their name. They had left their number, however, so Strawberry recorded it and called them right away.  
It was around noon on Saturday, so she figured that they would be home.  
Someone picked up the phone at the other end. "Hello?" an older voice answered.  
"Hi. This is about my daughter, Cherry." Strawberry spoke softly into the phone, a little excited.  
"Yes." The man answered. "I was up early that morning, and I saw two girls with duffel bags. I was just watering my lawn, and it was nothing unusual to me. I was in my backyard, and they were a little farther down. Near the beach."  
"That sounds like my daughter and her friend. Can you tell me which way they were headed?" she was so happy to have found something, but it still wasn't guaranteeing anything at all.  
"They were moving toward the dessert, actually. I don't know how far those girls can walk, but when I was young I could travel mighty far." The older man was a little more helpful than she thought he would be.  
"Thank you so much. I have to tell the police about your findings now, so I will let you go. Thanks again! You don't know how." Strawberry started, but was interrupted.  
"It's fine, really. Thanks for calling. Bye now!" The man hung up the phone, and Mrs. Loudent hung up also.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Breakfast!" Mr. Sir yelled to the four kids in the tent.  
"Yes!" Squid, always hungriest, yelled and ran out of the tent.  
"I thought you'd be first before the rest or them ol' youngins!" Mr. Sir chuckled to himself.  
"Yeah, right." Squid looked at Mr. Sir oddly, a little scared. Mr. Sir never failed to amaze people.  
"Well, go get it!" Mr. Sir slapped Squid on the butt and Squid jumped forward about 3 feet.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mr. Sir. That's going to have to end right there." Squid ran to breakfast.  
The rest of the group laughed as they grabbed their plates. It was waffles and bacon, as Caveman had told them.  
"Mmm. I haven't had food in like, 10 hours." Squid shoved food into his mouth.  
"Uhh. he always eats like this." Caveman told the girls, because they were looking at Squid very oddly.  
"Ok. I'll just, eat. over here." Cherry slid her plate down farther on the table and sat at the opposite end of Squid. She secretly liked him a lot, but. on a date he might be a little rowdy.  
"Done!" Squid slapped his fork down on the table, and everyone stared at him. "What? I am done." Squid rolled his eyes.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Strawberry had already sent the police on a search for Cherry and Star. She didn't want to seem selfish, but all she really cared about was Cherry. If Star made it out okay, she'd be happy, but probably wouldn't care as much as if Cherry did or not. She was hoping that she did. Cherry and Star were always getting themselves into things, so she wasn't really worried at first. Now that it had been an entire night, and she didn't even know when they really left in the first place, she was overly worried. There were a lot of bad people in the world, and she never knew what to expect. She always watched the local news station, attentively waiting. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to see Cherry on there. Maybe even into trouble, as long as she knew she was alive.  
  
~*~*~  
  
In the late afternoon, Squid was outside digging holes.  
"What are you doing?" Cherry looked at him, curiously. "Trying to find a way out of here?"  
Squid laughed at her. "No. This is a boot camp. We have to dig. We are looking for old artifacts."  
"Do you like to dig?" Cherry looked at him suspiciously.  
Cherry seemed like a girl to get Squid into a lot of trouble, but he couldn't resist a little fun. He figured that he'd just flat out answer, the truth. "No. I hate it."  
"Then why do you stay?" Cherry asked.  
Squid thought about that for a minute. He didn't really know the answer. "I'm not sure, to tell ya the truth. I just. figured I'd have to stay."  
"Have to stay?! We're in the middle of nowhere! You and Cave could come with me and Star. We don't know where we're headed. but isn't someone always running away from something out there?"  
"Yeah. I guess that makes sense. But, let me talk this whole idea over with Caveman. He's pretty smart, so it'll be his call." Squid didn't think Cherry was that smart at first, but everyone did pretty much want to run away from one thing. Most were just afraid they'd leave the good behind to. But the more Squid thought about it, there was no good in Camp Green Lake at all.  
"You do that. Now hand me that shovel. You're doing it wrong." Cherry snatched the shovel away and threw it about 5 feet away from them.  
"Hey!"  
"Thought you didn't like to dig." Cherry smiled at him and he smiled back.  
"You're right. Caveman!" Squid turned his attention to Caveman, who was digging a hole about 20 feet away.  
"Coming!" Caveman and Star both ran over to Squid and Cherry.  
"What's going on?" Star looked from Squid to Cherry and then back to Squid.  
"Caveman, how would you like to leave this shit? We can get out pretty easily. Cherry offered for us to come along." Squid cussed, Cherry noticed.  
"I'm in. I've been waiting to get out of here, I just never saw it possible." Caveman smiled at Star. They were obviously beginning to like each other.  
"Okay. Let's leave tonight, when Mr. Sir is sleeping." Star suggested.  
"Good idea." Cherry looked at the boys, and they both nodded in agreement.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Strawberry was watching the 11 o'clock news, when she saw her daughter's face appear on television. Her eyes got wider, and her ears perked up, almost like a dog would usually do if he heard his name.  
"Cherry Loudent, a local child, has turned up missing. If anyone finds a lead on this case, then please call news hotline 1-800-CherryL. That's 1-800-2437795. Operators are standing by." Anchor woman Michele Wanitzki announced.  
"The police set up a hotline? But. what about Star?" Strawberry muttered to herself. She didn't think she was so worried about Star. but, what if Cherry was found and Star wasn't? Cherry would be so sad and angry that she couldn't live with it.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Around midnight, everyone was still awake and packed. "I'm going to check if he's gone now. Okay guys?" Cherry looked around and everyone waved his or her hands toward the tent opening, agreeing for her to check.  
"The coast is clear. Come on!" Cherry was so excited. Star tossed Cherry her duffel bag. "Thanks."  
"No prob. Now, let's go." Star pushed Cherry out of the tent and they giggled. Cherry was really nice about jokes played on her, so she usually laughed at herself.  
The four kids ran across the camp to the back, where the 'Diner' was located. They ran straight past it, and soon weren't even in eyesight of Camp Green Lake.  
"I never thought we'd make it." Caveman shook his head and laughed.  
"Me either." Cherry beamed.  
"But we did." Star panted, tired from running and laughing so much.  
"I'm hungry, guys." Squid said, not surprisingly. Cherry slapped her head. Star jokingly fainted, and Caveman just groaned.  
"When are you not?" Caveman looked at him angrily, and Squid just smiled sheepishly.  
"Here. I took some extra lunch and dinner today. Well, yesterday." Star handed him a PB and J sandwich.  
"Thanks." Squid ate the sandwich in about 3 bites and so the group continued walking.  
  
~*~*~  
  
There was a party going on at the house where Star used to live. Kenneth, Star's brother, had missed Star. He didn't want to admit it, but he kept dialing Cherry's number and hanging up before it could ring. He knew that his now dead parents were watching over from heaven, ashamed at him. He didn't talk very good care of her. But, he continued to pretend not to care.  
"Anyone want a beer?!" he yelled over the crowd. A few people ran up and grabbed some bottles.  
"Thanks, bro!" Kenneth's best friend, Jack, called out.  
"No. problem." Kenneth replied, dozing off from all the booze. Kenneth fell over onto the ground, and his girlfriend, Cindy ran over to him. She was scared for him.  
The truth was, Cindy wasn't much of a partier at all. She just came for Kenneth. They had been dating since the 8th grade, and they were currently in college, so she wasn't about to let go. She had seen his sweet and sensitive side before. The days when he cared about Star. The days that he held her close to his side. She had seen the best of him. "Someone call 911!" Cindy screamed, and Jack threw her the phone. "Jack! Get these people out of here!" Jack started filing people out of the house.  
"Everyone's gone!" Jack yelled at Cindy, since he was outside and the music was still going. Cindy walked to the stereo and turned the music off. Then, hand shaking and lip quivering, dialed 911.  
"Hello?" a dispatcher answered.  
"Hi. My name is Cindy and my boyfriend has been drinking. He's not conscience right now. Please send someone." Cindy cried into the phone, sobbing.  
"Calm down, ma'am. An ambulance is on the way." The dispatcher hung up just as Cindy said goodbye.  
"Someone's coming, Jack. Help me clean up." Cindy got a trash bag from the kitchen and started throwing away beer cans. Jack helped, and he got out the vacuum cleaner also. Cindy picked up bowls of spilt popcorn and dished them into the bags.  
The house looked nice after about 5 minutes. At least the living room. Cindy decided that her and Jack should give Ken a little surprise clean up.  
An E.M.S. opened the door, spotted Ken and took him onto a stretcher. Other E.M.S.'s came to help him take Kenneth out into the vehicle.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: Done! That was pretty good for the first chapter, I think. The next chapter hopefully won't take so long, but you never know.  
  
Signed: BrOkEnHeArTeDo7 a.k.a. Kayla Marie* 


	2. Escaping Mr Sir

Life's Long Road Home  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Holes or any of it's contents.  
  
Chapter Two: Escaping Mr. Sir  
  
Author's Note: Hey again! I am trying to move along pretty fast with this story. But with homework, it's impossible. Right, TalleyAnne? Haha. Well, here goes.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Around 1 pm the next day, the 4 runaways were all tired from walking. They had only taken a break a few times and never actually went to sleep.  
"I'm tired." Star whined.  
"Me, too." Cherry complained.  
"I stole the tent while you guys were walking ahead. Pretty sneaky, eh?" Caveman smiled and grabbed a miniature size duffel bag out of his backpack and started to set up a tent.  
"Sneaky indeed." Star gave him a little wink. Cherry looked confused. Star saw her looking at her suspiciously. "We planned this together, okay?"  
Squid laughed. "Lovers."  
"Shut up!" Star playfully pinched Squid's arm.  
"Oww." Squid laughed again.  
After tent was set up, Cherry, Star, Squid, and Caveman all got into blankets and laid down. Everyone except Squid soon fell asleep. Squid saw Cherry shivering and decided to make his 'move'. He scoot closer to her, and rested his head to make sure she didn't wake up and notice. He kept inching closer and closer until he had been so close he couldn't move any farther. Cherry's eyes shot open and Squid looked taken aback.  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Cherry whispered loudly at him.  
"Sleeping. What are you doing?" Squid tried sarcasm.  
"I know that you are sleeping, but why are you so close?" Cherry knew that she liked Squid, but she didn't want him to be doing it as some sort of a joke. Guys were like that a lot, and she didn't want to be hurt by someone she truly liked.  
"I like you, okay?!" Squid was a little loud, but no one woke up.  
"That's all you had to say. I like you, too, but. damn you scared me!" Cherry smiled and Squid smiled back.  
"Now can we just go back to sleep before the others wake up and try to torture us into walking again?" Squid asked. Cherry nodded. Squid laid down silently as Cherry slid her body underneath his arm. They were a match made in heaven.  
"Perfect. Just peachy." Star stood above the dream couple. Caveman was trying to pry Squid's arms off of Cherry's delicate body, but Squid refused.  
"COME ON!" Caveman yelled.  
"No! She's mine! You can't make me!" Squid wasn't sure if he was playing around or being serious, it just seemed like the thing to say.  
"Squidy." Cherry taunted, "we can hold hands on the walk if you let go."  
"Okay!" Squid immediately released his grip and Cherry fell down with a thud.  
"Sorry!" Squid retaliated.  
"I'm fine." Cherry scratched her forehead.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Jack, let's clean up this place." Cindy told Ken's best friend, Jack.  
"Not now. I'm going to have the worst hangover." Jack grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.  
"I'll do it myself then." Cindy called out the door, and slammed it behind. "I can't believe Ken's friends with him."  
Cindy walked upstairs. She decided to do the upstairs first and work her way throughout the house. It was a 4-story house, so she was going to have to work for a while. She started on the balcony. She picked up towels leftover from hot tub guests and put them through the laundry shoot. Next, she grabbed beer cans and tossed them into random trashcans that she was planning on wheeling from room to room. The next stop was Ken's bedroom.  
Cindy dragged her feet, not wanting to do all the cleaning alone. Nonetheless, she started working on the room. She removed all of the bedding and tossed it down the laundry shoot. Then, she decided to pick up all the miscellaneous trash and that was about it.  
After the whole entire 4-story house was clean, Cindy laid down on the downstairs couch. She waited, watching TV, by the phone, for a call from the E.R. Nothing happened for hours, and she found herself drifting off to sleep. It was about midnight by then.  
All of a sudden, the phone rang. Cindy jumped up, very scared because it was her first time alone in the huge house. "Hello?" Cindy spoke into the phone quietly.  
"Hi, baby. It's me. Kenneth." Cindy recognized Ken's voice right away and almost screamed with delight.  
"How are you?" Cindy sounded worried, and Ken could tell.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The group had been walking for a while, when Squid tripped over something. "Whoa!" Squid fell on his butt and everyone started laughing or giggling.  
"Awww, poor baby. ha ha!" Cherry laughed and sounded as if she had pity for him at the same time. "What did you trip over, anyway?"  
"This." Squid held up a bottle with paper inside of it.  
"Let's get the paper! Come on!" Star yanked the bottle out of Squid's hand.  
"It's mine! I tripped over it!" Squid said, and grabbed it back.  
"Read the note already!" Caveman stomped his foot as he was the most impatient of the group.  
"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Squid moaned and stuck his finger down the bottle, slowly but surely pulling the note out from the bottle. "Can I read it?" Cherry stuck out her lower lip. Star and Caveman whispered something into each other's ears and Squid smiled sweetly. He handed Cherry the note, and examined the empty bottle.  
"Read it." Caveman, impatient as before, egged Cherry on.  
"It says:  
Dear Reader,  
If you have found this, you must know that you are standing in a Lake. It is dried up now, but it is called Blue Lake. It may sound stupid, because of the color mix-up, but this is what Camp Green Lake is based on. If you are from Camp Green Lake, you are in the correct area for digging. Some rude old man a little while down the way thinks he has found the correct area. Please don't, I repeat, please DON'T tell the man you found this note. If you are the man, well--- OH SHIT!  
What does that mean?" Cherry read the note and added a comment.  
"It may be from." Star grabbed the note quickly, "Yes. From Kissing Kate Barlow herself!"  
"You're right!" Caveman was now excited.  
"No, guys, it says that it's her great grand-daughter. Kissing Kate is long gone to write this note. This girl is obviously hiding something. And I agree with her, no telling Mr. Sir. He's obviously the mean old man. Duh!" Cherry gave out so much truth at once that everyone was shocked at her. Cherry wasn't so honest usually. Especially to her mom.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Strawberry was beginning to see some interesting things on the news. Cherry never appeared on TV again, but she saw some other faces. They weren't Star, either. They were girls and boys, older and younger than Star and Cherry, who were missing. Some were found dead, and other families just lost hope.  
"I can't lose my hope. That's for sure." Strawberry told herself.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"I'm fine. I just suffered a mild concussion." Ken made it sound like it was no big deal at all.  
"When are you coming home?" Cindy asked, very worried, but not showing it.  
"Tomorrow. I have a few errands to run, well, actually only one, but I'll be home by 2p.m. Can you have lunch ready?" Ken asked her kindly.  
"Sure. Can I order a pizza? I have been working hard lately." Cindy asked him, because she had been working hard a lot lately.  
"Yes, it's fine. I will see you tomorrow. I'm sleepy, and I'm sure you are, too. See you tomorrow." Ken hung up the phone after they exchanged farewells and I love you's.  
Cindy felt better and laid back down onto the couch. The TV was still on, and she fell asleep very quickly.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"This is very interesting info. But, we can't tell anyone, guys. If there's treasure here, then." Squid started, but Star cut him off.  
"We can't just start digging in the middle of nowhere. Think, Squid." Star gave him a cross look.  
"Without being so rude, Star." Cherry gave Star a look, "she's right. I mean, we can't just go somewhere, buy shovels, and come back."  
"And who said there's treasure anyway?" Caveman looked at them all and shrugged to his own question.  
"True. We can always report it in the next city." Squid suggested.  
"Good thinking." Star gave a compliment for three reasons. One, he was right. Two, Cherry might get mad if she didn't start acting nicer. Three, she felt bad for making him look stupid.  
"Thanks." Squid smiled, and they continued walking.  
When the quad found a local police station after they hit the next city, they walked in and found no one there. There was an older looking, rusty sign that suggested to them that the police station was closed.  
"This is freaky. Let's go, come on." Cherry started to turn around but there was a bear behind her. "Run!" Cherry screamed.  
Everyone ran behind the sign and didn't stop, because the bear was running with them! Another bear appeared and Star thought, 'No wonder the police backed out of here!'  
"This is so much scarier than I thought running away would be!" Cherry yelled, and ran the opposite direction, toward to two bears.  
"CHERRY! What are you doing?!" Squid yelped, scared for his newly found girlfriend.  
"Come and get me! I have no reason to live through this!" Cherry started crying hysterically. Squid was almost in tears, but his will brought him through it.  
The blood-hungry bear leaped onto Cherry and pushed his teeth into her flesh, straight through her small and fragile hand. Cherry's tears changed. She cried more and more until she couldn't cry. Her skin was aching, and she regretted coming at the bear with such force. Squid could only stand back in horror. Soon, a police officer ran in and looked like he had been running, from the sweat on his face.  
The officer known as 'Officer Judd' pulled out a small dart gun. The city was obviously known for bear attacks, because it looked like a tranquilizer of some sort. Officer Judd shot the bear and the bear fell over. The other bear, that was beginning to chew on Cherry's leg, was also shot. She fell over with the same loud thud as her mate.  
"Thanks. so. much." Squid was in shock, so he spit out the words, and Judd could hardly make out what he said.  
"What are you kids doing?! Trying to get yourselves killed?!" Judd was half mad and half worried about the kids.  
"N-no." Squid cowered and shook.  
"We're not from around here, Sir." Caveman made sure that Judd knew the details. "We're on a vacation with our parents." Caveman lied, so the police officer didn't call them in for running away.  
"Yeah. With our parents. And, we found this note, from Kate Barlow's original family. We can show you where we found it, but we came here to report it. We didn't know that this place was a bear cave! There was a sign and all, but. you know us kids." Star was sarcastic, since there was no sign. Judd blushed.  
"Okay. I will check out the spot where the note was. This better not be a fraud or a joke." Judd actually acknowledged the kids' note, which surprised Star a lot.  
"If it's a joke, it's not our joke." Caveman reminded him.  
"Sure, sure." Judd waved his hand and walked out of the building. He apparently didn't care much about Cherry.  
  
~*~*~  
  
All of the 'just discovered' serial killers were beginning to scare Strawberry. She changed her house's locks and everything. She missed Cherry more than ever. Cherry hardly thought about her mom at all. If only Strawberry knew that it was Cherry's fault that she was missing. or that Cherry had just been attacked. It wasn't a serial killer, but Strawberry jumped to conclusions easily.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Cherry. Cherry. Cherry, please. talk." Squid was now lying next to Cherry, crying. His father always said, 'Real men don't cry.' Everyone was looking, but Squid looked up at the sky, because his father was dead, and he yelled, "I never liked you!"  
"Squid, settle down!" Star screamed, so frustrated. She had only known Squid for a short while, but she already knew that he was the first boyfriend that might treat Cherry right for once. She had seen Cherry get hurt multiple times by guys, but this was one that she could count on to take care of her best friend.  
"I won't settle down! I won't! You hear me up there, God?! I'm going to scream until you bring her back!" It was just then that Squid never checked to see if Cherry was alive or not. He was breathing harder than he had been before, and knelt over, checking Cherry's pulse.  
"Is." Star was interrupted.  
"SHE'S BREATHING!" Squid jumped up. He grabbed Cherry into his arms and decided to carry her out into the sunlight.  
"At least she's okay." Caveman nodded at Squid.  
"Yeah. It's great." Squid smiled and sat next to the spot he laid Cherry. on a large rock that all four of them could fit.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ken came home when he said he would, and the house was clean, like Cindy planned it to be. Ken gave her a kiss, and they ate the pizza that Cindy ordered, as promised. Ken was glad that he was back to normal. Some coma's lasted a while, and he was fortunate to get out before his memory started going.  
"Will you come to dinner with me tomorrow night?" Ken asked Cindy, as they were cleaning up. Kenneth planned on keeping his house cleaner, party free.  
"Yes. I will." Cindy smiled, and she smiled so slowly that you could hear the small -crack- that was there when you opened your lips.  
"Good. I have something planned." Ken smiled wider than Cindy, so Cindy knew it was going to be formal.  
"When are we going?" Cindy asked him, excited and a little jumpy.  
"Later. Around 8, when it's about dark." Ken wanted to watch the sunset with her.  
"Sounds good. Well, I am going to go home so I can straighten up. I've been here for a while." Cindy kissed Ken's cheek, and walked out to her SUV.  
"Okay. See ya!" Ken called out to her and waved.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Cherry?" Squid woke up with a jolt in the middle of the night. He was dreaming of her.  
"Is that you? I didn't want to wake anyone." Cherry's voice whispered, soothing Squid's soul, helping him a lot spiritually.  
"I'm here." Squid rubbed her back. He played with her hair. He kissed her. He did anything he could, while she was still alive.  
"My hand hurts. My leg, too." Cherry pulled the blanket off of her, and showed him her gash, in the moonlight.  
"Oww. What does your leg look like?" Squid asked her.  
"Not sure." Cherry lifted her pant-leg, and Squid could see the deep, gruesome teeth marks.  
"Wow. We'll have to clean that all up." Squid was nervous around Cherry for the first time, and he wasn't sure why.  
"We could pick up and leave, you know." Cherry was feeling rebellious that night.  
"Huh?" Squid was confused. "We already ran away."  
"No. From Star and Caveman. We can run away. We can be together, Alan." Cherry used his first name, and this made his skin tingle.  
"We--we, we are together." Squid was almost afraid of what she might say next.  
"Come on. we can have more alone time." Cherry pulled his arm. Squid grabbed their bags, and ran with her. He didn't realize what he was doing, but he ran with her.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: Strawberry will basically be out of the picture until something interesting happens. Just so you know.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ken called Cindy, to tell her that he was picking her up. "Okay. I'm coming." Ken said into the phone after they had talked for a good ten minutes. "Alright. Ready." Cindy said and then hung up. Ken slipped something into his pocket, and grabbed his car keys. He raced out to the door. Ken arrived at Cindy's house right when he said he would. Cindy looked beautiful. She was wearing a red silk dress, with black beaded embroidery, and a nice shawl to match. She had a red and silver coin purse, but he was paying, so he told her to leave that in the car. "Where are we off to?" Cindy asked excitedly. She had never been out to a formal dinner with Ken, unless others were invited. "You'll see." Ken closed the car door behind him. "I can't hold it in, I know it. I'll tell you. It's that little French place at the corner of Speed and Hocking." Ken gave off the street names quickly, and she then knew that he was nervous. "Oh! I've never been there. It looks nice." Cindy was even more excited now that she knew where they were going. When they arrived, she was a nervous wreck. "We're here." Ken stepped out of the car, and opened the door for Cindy. He then gave the Valley Parker his keys to his Lexus.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Squid and Cherry ran for about a mile, non-stop. Squid was panting and Cherry was laughing. "I feel so free." Cherry spun around, giggling some more.  
Squid playfully pick Cherry up and ran ahead with her. He dropped her onto the first grassy area that they'd seen for a while, and got out the tent. "I had one, too. Caveman just needed the glory, so I never told." Cherry laughed.  
"This seems like a good idea, eh?" Cherry laughed some more. Cherry's eyes glistened in the moon. She seemed so happy that night.  
"Yeah. Good." Squid went into the tent and Cherry followed. They both lost their virginity that night.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: A little shorter than expected, but hey. as long as I'm done! I like this chapter a lot. If you don't, I'm sorry. Star and Caveman were getting a little lame. Cherry is the main character anyway. Sorry, all you Caveman and Star fans! I will write another story, and you can bet you'll here more about Star and Caveman. their reactions when they wake up, so on. But what about Ken and Cindy? What's going on with Strawberry? Keep reading! 


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